Often times when we study, we focus on the who and the what, rather than the where with good reason. Who and what are usually the two most important pieces of information. Besides that, the place names in Scripture can be tricky and confusing. However, sometimes the where gives some tremendous insight. Let me give you my favorite example.
In Genesis 22:2, God tells Abraham to go to the land of Moriah and offer Isaac as a sacrifice on one of the mountains there.
In 2 Chronicles 3:1, we read “Now Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord had appeared to his father David, at the place that David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.”
The same place.
God provided a substitute for Isaac in the same spot the nation would offer their sacrificial substitutes. In the intervening years, they would live as slaves and nomads until God brought them back to that place.
Then at the opposite end of that same ridge is a place called Calvary, the spot where the sacrifices would end and the debt paid by Christ. He fulfilled the promise Abraham affirmed so many years before. And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” (Genesis 22:8)
Details like this show us that nothing is random, but God orders every event to tell His redemption story. Take a few moments to consider the parallels in the events that happened at Moriah. What lessons can you take away about sacrifice, and about worship?
(If you want to read more, check out the story of David purchasing that piece of ground where Solomon built the Temple. It’s in 2 Samuel 24.)
